The trial of track coach Trevor Graham netted steroids prosecutors another guilty verdict and a public admission of cheating from a gold-medal winning athlete.

The jury in San Francisco convicted Graham on Thursday of one count of lying to federal investigators about his relationship to an admitted steroids dealer but deadlocked on the other two charges, when at least one juror had serious doubts about the credibility of the prosecution’s star witness.

This marked the first significant setback at trial for the federal government in its nearly five-year investigation stemming from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative

doping scandal.

Graham, who coached former star sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, is the second person from the BALCO scandal to be convicted at trial. Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty in April of lying to a federal grand jury when she denied taking steroids.

Eight others, including Jones and BALCO founder Victor Conte, have pleaded guilty to charges that stemmed from the September 2003 raid on BALCO headquarters in Burlingame The raid came shortly after Graham anonymously sent the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency a vial of “the clear,” a then undetectable steroid.

ETC.: American sprinter Justin Gatlin will find out next week if he can try to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it will release its verdict June 6 on the Olympic 100-meter champion’s doping ban appeal. The 26-year-old sprinter is seeking a further reduction in a four-year suspension. … After U.S. Olympic gold medal sprinter Antonio Pettigrew admitted he had doped more than 11 years ago, the IAAF is considering extending its limit on retroactive doping sanctions. “He has confessed he was doping since 1997. We have a rule saying that we cannot go over eight years,” IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a conference call. “We have to look: are we ready to have this rule changed?”

Forward Landon Donovan rejoined the Galaxy ahead of the team’s MLS match at Toronto this weekend and is questionable for the United States’ exhibition game against Spain next week.

Donovan missed Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at England because of a tight groin and met up in Canada with the Galaxy, who play Toronto FC on Saturday.

David Beckham, Donovan’s teammate on the Galaxy, will miss the Galaxy’s match at Toronto to be with England’s national team for Sunday’s exhibition game at Trinidad and Tobago.

Soccer College sports

O.J. Mayo was tying up loose ends at college and preparing to take his mom out for a Mother’s Day dinner when he heard the news.

A former associate of his, Louis Johnson, was on ESPN earlier this month saying Mayo was funneled money by a sports promoter from a professional agent, during and after his high-profile prep basketball career.

“I was overwhelmed,” Mayo told a crowd of reporters in Orlando, Fla., where he was to be weighed and measured as part of the NBA’s pre-draft camp. “I haven’t talked to (Johnson) for a long time – maybe since January.

“I think I was more upset that something like that would show on Mother’s Day. As the oldest son you don’t want to bring that on your mother on Mother’s Day. I was totally overwhelmed and didn’t understand what was going on.”

Mayo, who declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft after one season at USC, has denied receiving any improper funds, and didn’t want to discuss specifics in his first lengthy and open media session since those allegations broke. However, he did say he hasn’t been contacted by the NCAA, which is investigating the matter.

ETC.: Kyle Stanley shot a 4-under par 68, helping Clemson to a one-stroke lead over UCLA at the halfway point of the NCAA men’s Division I golf championship in West Lafayette, Ind. Stanley, the runner-up a year ago, birdied four of the first seven holes on Purdue’s par-72 Kampen Course. His two-

round total of 140 was one stroke behind leader Billy Horschel of Florida, who finished the round on the 7,450-yard course at 5-under. First-round leader Kevin Chappell of UCLA shot a 73 and fell to a fourth-place tie. Lucas Lee (Torrance High) had UCLA’s low round of 72. USC freshman Tim Sluiter, who won his first college tournament in March, was at 143 for sixth place. … Louisville basketball player Clarence Holloway has ended his career after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder marked by lengthened features and cardiovascular defects. Holloway had hoped to return to the Cardinals in the fall after sitting out his freshman year following open-heart surgery to repair the wall of his aorta and the aortic valve. … West Virginia University’s $4 million lawsuit against ex-football coach Rich Rodriguez is headed for mediation, with the goal of resolving the dispute by Aug. 1.

Three Nevada football players were arrested for driving under the influence over the Memorial Day weekend, including starting tight end Mike McCoy.

Jurisprudence Deaths

A high school football player is dead after collapsing during practice in Irvine.

Irvine police Lt. Rick Handfield said 15-year-old Dylan Bradshaw apparently had an asthma attack during junior varsity practice Wednesday at Northwood High. A trainer took Bradshaw to the locker room, where he went into cardiac arrest.

The trainer administered CPR and Bradshaw was in critical condition when he was taken to a hospital. He died there, about 90 minutes after collapsing.

ETC.: Sven Davidson, Sweden’s first Grand Slam winner and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died. He was 79. The hall said he died Wednesday of pneumonia in Arcadia. Davidson had been diagnosed with an initial stage of Alzheimer’s disease one year ago.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.